- Undergraduate: BA in Urban Planning, Minors in Geography & Entrepreneurship from a top public school; 2015; GPA: 3.8/4.0

- GRE: V 170, Q 160, W 5.0

- Letter of recommendations: 2 professors (one urban planning prof who I worked for as well as took class with; one from a non-relevant department but who I had a strong relationship with) and one professional (my project manager when I started at my firm)

- Portfolio: In progress. I'm from a non-design education but I do have fine arts and graphic design experience. Contents include paintings, observational sketches, graphic design work, some GIS stuff, and maybe something from my current job if I can frame it in an information-design structure.

- Schools: Still finalizing the list, but it will definitely include YSoA, Penn, GSD, Cornell, and UT

- Open house impressions: Visited Penn (not open house) and appreciated that it seemed like a genuinely interdisciplinary school. Wish I had more to compare it to. Going to UT info session soon, but probably wont be able to visit others until after apps are due.

Good luck everyone!

Oct 20, 18 11:50 am

ethanhunt

Hi @placemaker. Did you visit UT Austin? How was it? What about the MAAD program there? its a non accredited program but I don't want to go for a 3 year MArch 2. Please let me know about it if you have visited the school! Thanks

placemaker

Hey there! I did make it to one of their info sessions. Honestly, you didn't miss much... it wasn't particularly well-organized. But I still liked the school in general. There seemed to be a good breadth of opportunities, and I liked the facilities (the department is housed in some of the oldest buildings on campus. While nothing is shiny or new, studio spaces are spacious and well-lit). Their materials lab was pretty impressive. Can't say much about the MAAD program; most of the other Arch prospectives were also looking at the M.Arch, so the discussion was mostly focused on that program. If you have any other specific questions I might be able to answer, feel free to reach out again!

placemaker

Update: In at UT Austin :)

ethanhunt

congrats. i'm waiting for my results! Did you get an email update or on their website account?

placemaker

Thanks! The architecture program sent me an email yesterday afternoon with the decision in the subject line, and then I got an email from the Graduate School in the evening telling my my status had changed on ApplyTexas. Good luck!

placemaker

Update: In at Cornell!

placemaker

Update: In at WashU; Waitlisted at Yale; Out at Harvard. Turbulent evening.

placemaker

Update: ended up getting some $ at Cornell; In at UVA with $; in at Rice ($ TBD)

- Letter of recommendations - (2) Temple U Studio Professors; one being an MIT grad and the other being one whom I learned a lot from and worked on extra-curricular projects with. (1) project collaborator from pro-bono work.

- Personal Essay/Statement - Have generic one drafted; still working on certain school-specific essays.

- Open house impressions: Haven't made it to any so far. Had an informal tour of GSAPP from a current student who provided insight on the logistics and mindset of going there; seems like you pay a lot for networking opportunities and to get a potential in with big name firms if you apply yourself.

- Letter of recommendations: 3 professors 1 from Dean 1 from studio art professor and 1 from garden history professor.

- Personal Essay/Statement: Done

- Portfolio: Personal projects with GSD summer programs' projects

- Schools: GSD, YSoA, UCB, Penn, GSAPP, Pratt, UVA, Northeastern

The whole process feels like a suicidal try but I still go for this...Is there anyone who transmajor from mathematics before?

Jan 8, 19 10:53 am

TrogIodytarum

Your stats look good enough for all of those schools. Being from China is a negative but as long as your portfolio doesn't suck you should get into most of those targets. But you need to work on your attitude.. suicidal try? The fuck? Work on your confidence or you will get destroyed in architecture school.

placebeyondthesplines__

i have to disagree that 3.3 from NYU is good enough for all of those schools. how do you not get 170 Q on the GRE when you have a degree in mathematics? and 155V? that's just embarrassing.

215900

@placebeyondthesplines,
thanks for the reminder and critics. Oh, you know things happen and interestingly some of my fellow maths friends failed in getting a full mark as well. We were all wondering where we went wrong. Oh, for the GPA stuff, as I am from the Shanghai Campus, where the grades are not inflated, it was not necessarily that bad but still, very unsafe for most of the schools and I do agree these are my concerns. I was a former history student back in high school, which I also stated in my

215900

personal statements that I am already proud of myself for being the very few who dare to take a challenge in the whole learning process.

215900

@TrogIodytarum, would you mind telling me why it is a negative as a Chinese? Are you referring to the intense competition among a large population or poor academic reputation or something like a boring and nerdy stereotype? I think it's kind of suicidal since the acceptance rate is very low, roughly 10% I guess, however, statistically, I do agree the chance for each is either accepted or rejected, 50% v 50%. Thanks for the warning/encouragement, after being a maths major for 4 years as former history kid, I felt I have already developed a very high resilience.......

TrogIodytarum

It's negative to be Chinese because there is a disproportionate amount of them applying/attending most all elite schools. Same goes for Asians and South Asians in general. Those from underrepresented backgrounds have a strong advantage due to schools pushing for the appearance of diversity and equality.

This is also the case when it comes to the job market for most firms.

placebeyondthesplines__

“things happen” and “other schools have grade inflation” are incredibly inadequate excuses for poor grades. you’ll find that admissions committees are quite uninterested in students that can’t explain their failures more sufficiently than that.

Dangermouse

nothing at all wrong with being chinese. tons of chinese students at the gsd/ysoa/gsaap; diversity isn't really a consideration at the graduate level.

and fwiw, pratt and uva are great consolation prizes if you don't get into an ivy.

placebeyondthesplines__

sadly I think you’re responding to a future northeastern student

215900

@troglodytarum, thanks so much for the information!

215900

@dangermouse, thanks so much for the explanation as well since it sounds pretty encouraging.

lmnoc1

Ignore that person. He gave no constructive nor meaningful critics. You shouldn't feel embarrassed about anything. He was just jealous of your nearly perfect math score

215900

@imnoc1 Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I did appreciate his comment, many of them are right about real-world evaluation, and I did agree with most of his critics and I didn't overestimate myself as well.I would not say I'm bullied by him in any cases but I felt really sorry for his choice of words and ironic attitude, which seemed brutally rude that matched with neither a successful architecture student /architect nor a well behaved netizen.

I am not sure if I have any chance, the whole application process (taking tests, writing letters, etc.) was way harder than I thought it would be, lol.

Jan 9, 19 9:32 am

placebeyondthesplines__

“lol” is right, this isn’t happening.

proximity

@placebeyondthesplines; did your parents not love you as a child?

placebeyondthesplines__

if this is your response to a realistic appraisal of vmizo's chances of getting into MIT, Princeton, or Harvard with a 3.3 GPA, pitiful GRE, and an apparent inability to even get applications in on time...that says much more about you than it does about me.

lmnoc1

Some random basic online bullies are trying to pollute this space. What a shame!

Congrats!! What's your preference though? I think Michigan with $$$ is a good one

nyc629

In at UPenn, details to come March 14th

nyc629

@ethanhunt Thanks! Cornell offered 1/2 the amount Michigan did so that’s a good start, going to try to push it further. Cornell’s ~25 person/class program is very enticing coming from an undergrad program of the same size, so that will definitely factor in. Proximity at Cornell/UPenn will also be considered as I am from New York/Connecticut. Waiting to hear back from MIT and Columbia but ultimately this one is going to come down to open houses/tours to find the right fit.

nyc629

@ethanhunt Cornell offered 1/2 the amount Michigan did so that’s a good start, going to try to push it further

why all the second- and third-tier programs? your portfolio is likely to be far stronger than most m.arch I applicants, and your GPA is certainly high enough.

sado

Location for my top three. I have hated living in the southeast for the majority of my adult life. I chose schools in locations I would be happy to live in after graduating. If I could do it over again, I would apply to top-tier schools too. I don't want to wait another year, though. Hopefully I'll get in and graduate with less loans this way.

tbroek

I did the same thing--I didn't think that I could get in to top-tier schools with similar scores/GPA. If I had a do-over I would shoot higher. Cornell, MIT, Berkley...

- Letter of recommendations - 2 from undergraduate professors in Greece, both had me at several courses and were my diploma thesis advisors | 1 from current employer (ivy alumnus, knows me since early 2016).

- Personal Essay/Statement - Portfolio: these vary per school, as I applied to multiple programs. Last year I had applied to the AA Projective Cities program and got in with funding, but couldn't accept for family reasons. Thus I used that same portfolio/essay that got me in last year, but with improvements and adjustments.

- Open house impressions: I attended the online open houses for UCLA, SCI-Arc, and MIT. SCI-Arc gives me the impression that it has the type of students I was trying to avoid as an undergrad, MIT seems very sophisticated and academic, UCLA has a more fun vibe.

- Results: Of course no idea about results yet, but my ultimate goal would be UCLA. MIT has an incredible program, really competitive to get in, as they also have good funding opportunities.

Jan 31, 19 2:55 pm

GreekSalad

Update: in USC MBS w/ $$

GreekSalad

Update: in USC MAAS w/ $$$

8utu

Idk how your portfolio looks like but your stats look amazing. Best of luck!

GreekSalad

Thanks, I think they work for the schools I applied to (minus MIT)! I can't really comment on my own work, but I did try to only include projects relevant to each application. Fingers crossed!

I8utu

Oh actually 8.76/10 is only like 3.5 and your GRE is kinda below average for top programs. Probably won't get into MIT or UCLA but gl with USC!

GreekSalad

True for US standards, but I'm top 5% from my school and UCLA has already interviewed me :) However I'm totally happy with USC if UCLA doesn't play out!

I8utu

Would love to see your portfolio!

8utu

This is just sad that an account was made to impersonate me, in order to do what, troll? Mad about a very innocuous comment. Was my initial comment too positive, too optimistic? I wonder who the suspect could be..

artdecoboi

Hey! I was wondering if it's common to get an interview from UCLA or if that is something primarily reserved for international candidates?

GreekSalad

Hi artdecoboi, I know past applicants who've been admitted both with and without an interview, so I'm not sure what triggers it.

Portfolio: 5 urban design projects in various cities, and a bunch of design operations

Schools: UCB, UCLA, USC, University of Miami, Pratt, GSAPP

Results: fingers crossed

Feb 13, 19 3:33 pm

GreekSalad

Hi! We seem to have some overlap :) Which programs did you apply to at UCB, UCLA, and USC? Also curious how come you didn't apply to SCI-Arc, since you seem to be entertaining LA as an option? P.S. - Accidentally sent you a message instead, please ignore.

Hey! I responded anyway but I'll post here so others can see. I applied to M.Arch for all schools. I don't have a BArch, only a BA which disqualifies me from many MArch II programs. So I applied to have "advanced standing" at UCB, USC. For UCLA I applied for MArch I. And for your sciArc question, I visited the studio on a tour last year and I didn't really like what the students were working on. Just a personal opinion :)

Feb 13, 19 3:53 pm

GreekSalad

Yes, just received it, thanks! I was wondering whether we'd be attending any of those together, but I already have a BArch, so I'm at a different spot. I do think your view about SCI-Arc makes sense, especially if you don't have solid foundation on architecture yet. Best of luck!!

placebeyondthesplines

this person has a four-year degree in architecture, so the suggestion that she doesn’t like sci-arc because of a lacking foundation is incredibly presumptuous. many people with far more experience than you don’t like the work or approach of sci-arc, which doesn’t make them wrong or you right.

GreekSalad

What was presumptuous on my end is how a BA translates in terms of the educational system I've been a part of. What was presumptuous on your end, is that I suggested she didn't like SCI-Arc because of lacking foundation; I never said that, and most certainly didn't mean that.

placebeyondthesplines

“I do think your view about SCI-Arc makes sense, especially if you don't have solid foundation on architecture yet.”

GreekSalad

Your view makes sense = I agree = I don't like their projects either (personal opinion)/ if you don't have solid foundation yet = a more grounded program would be a better fit (personal opinion). See, still presumptuous of you, but I'm too nice to take offense :)

placebeyondthesplines

interesting backpedal, but it’s quite obvious what you actually meant: “your lack of knowledge and experience is why you don’t ‘get’ the student work at sci-arc.” you said yourself that you applied to the m.arch II at sci-arc; seems like a pretty questionable decision if you don’t like the student work there.

Mosessleeper

Ah placebeyondthesplines, I remember you from your trolling on last year’s admissions threads. Glad to see you back at it!

Dangermouse

its the only reason i come here anymore. trolling balkins just doesn't have the same zest as it used to

placebeyondthesplines

i truly don’t mean the comments in this thread to be any sort of trolling. i only commented on the absurdly condescending tone of greeksalad’s reply because it was uncalled for and clearly mistaken, and because she hardly has standing to condescend to anyone.

8utu

But how do you kmatre felt condescended or talked down to? Did they contact you to defend them? You come off as really unhinged tbh

placebeyondthesplines

ah, to be so delicate

8utu

oh yes, delicate. so says the person that goes off at a perceived slight, directed nowhere near them. I am weeping into my cornflakes.

placebeyondthesplines

someday when you actually know something about architecture, you too will be irritated by those who pretend they do

I received an acceptance letter from Cranbrook, but they want a response and very hefty deposit by next Wednesday (Yikes!). I won't know if I even made the interview process at Stuttgart until weeks later and they don't send out acceptance letters until early April. Stuttgart is only 3,000 Euros a year while Cranbrook is more than 10x that much.

If any alumni of Cranbrook or Stuttgart or people familiar with the program could give me a good idea on where MArch students end up after graduation and any scholarships you applied for outside the university, that would be greatly appreciated and very helpful in my decision making.

Also, I did quite a few deep dives through Archinect threads when building my portfolio which was very helpful. I wanted to contribute by providing a link to mine below.

looks like you’re just going to have to eat that $1000 deposit or get comfortable with waiting another year if you don’t get into Stuttgart
. cranbrook’s admissions process is geared toward applicants that are pretty much only interested in cranbrook — hence the two week response window and unusually large deposit to hold your spot — but they make those details very clear before you applied. you can’t count on Stuttgart working out, especially considering your GPA.

bye bye bayou

"but they make those details very clear before you applied" Oh, I'm aware of this. What I didn't expect was for the acceptance process to move so quickly. I had the interview and an acceptance letter within less than two weeks of submitting my application. I'm applying for the ICD track at ITECH and when visiting the university, they told me the acceptance is based heavily on design and portfolio and there was no GPA requirement. That said, I'm sure they will still take this into consideration.

placebeyondthesplines

well I’m glad you knew what you were getting into with cranbrook; that is an extremely quick turnaround. your portfolio isn’t exceptionally strong though, especially not in terms of computational design. if you applied only to these two schools, my unsolicited advice is to accept at cranbrook whole you can.

placebeyondthesplines

*while

bye bye bayou

I should have been more clear, but I was looking for reassurance that Cranbrook (with a scholarship) was a sound investment. I think you spent about 5 seconds looking at my portfolio based on preconceived assumptions. My renderings are not amazing but I have a team design-build/material research/digital fabrication project where I was running the 3D model, millwork sheets, and CNC machine. I also have professional work from two award-winning and nationally well-respected design firms in their fields. I don't know if I'll get into Stuttgart but I did my due diligence for both programs and "knew what I was getting into." Thank you for your input, but I was able to find the reassurance I was looking for about Cranbrook through personal connections and will accept their offer.

placebeyondthesplines

fabrication experience/expertise ≠ computational design skill. the former will certainly be useful to you in graduate school, but having been on admissions committees for several years, I can tell you a) I know how to read a portfolio, b) yours is in fact quite weak (and not just in terms of renderings), and c) it is not remotely competitive for computational design programs. none of this is meant as a slight or an insult, only an honest and realisitc appraisal of your situation
. congratulations and good luck at cranbrook.

bye bye bayou

Frankly, I've been a little stressed out by this process. I know Cranbrook will be a great fit... I just have to figure out how to pay for it. Thank you for your honest feedback.

I received three acceptance letters so far (RPI, UMN, NCSU), but no mention of $$$. Will emails/letters come out later if one is to be offered funding?

Feb 20, 19 4:34 am

placebeyondthesplines

some schools have completely separate notification processes for funding, and others include aid offers in the acceptance letter. it’s annoying that they didn’t tell you what to expect, but a quick call to each admissions office will easily sort it out.

what happened on the GRE? when I see stats like this I immediately assume grade inflation or test anxiety, the latter of which seems pretty incongruous with four years of perfect studio presentations

Non Sequitur

Funny, Canada does not have any B.Arch degrees anymore. Someone is overcompensating here... and I'm not (just) referring to the list of schools.

placebeyondthesplines

i’m just spitballing here, but i’m pretty sure she means a bachelor of architectural studies when she explicitly says “B.Arch Studies,” which does indeed exist at multiple Canadian
universities

Kenchikka

@placebeyondthesplines I didn't have time to study much, was focusing on studio and other classes so only spend about a week reviewing it - in retrospect I should have retaken it.

Kenchikka

@Non Sequitur I wrote B.ArchStudies, which is indeed my degree, no need to jump down my throat. Not sure what you think i'm overcompensating for, other than my mediocre GRE scores,
which I definitely acknowledge.

Non Sequitur

B.A.S is the convention for architectural studies bachelor degrees up here.

placebeyondthesplines

dude, just acknowledge that you misread her post or leave it alone, don't double down on that "convention" nonsense

Non Sequitur

But nonsense is my middle name.

placebeyondthesplines

taking pride in your incompetence is a curious choice

Non Sequitur

I'm not good at balancing characters.

Kenchikka

Well, despite your comments about my overcompensating on my list of schools, I did just get accepted to Berkeley!!

Smaller or less text mate (change of font for your project title numbering)... your pictures already said more than 1000 word, they are lovely. Could simplify the opening (cover, ToC, about me)

Non Sequitur

I despise that intro spread sooo very much. Skills graph is bad, counties visited, useless, half a page for experience but only small stints... just looks like filler. Also, you need to add progress work and concept drawings. Not just final generic renderings and honestly, your last pages with the sketches are very bad. Carleton used to be known in Canada as a farm school with strong graphic skills. Man... have they dropped that ball.

g.bourget

Thank you for the comments. I will rework the CV, I agree with you, some of the things listed aren't that relevant to be in there. I disagree with you in regards to the travel content. Some universities like UBC would actually encourage you to mention them. In regards to the progress work, I have lots, I will definitely include more. All the sketches at the end were all done before my Bachelor, so if I happen to keep them, I will probably add the date. I agree there is a lot more to be done in terms of line-weights and color schemes. But Carleton still is very strong in graphic skills, I encounter work that inspires me every day in the building's walls.

g.bourget

Will do suggested changes Ariel, thank you very much for your feedback

placebeyondthesplines

future commenters take note: this is how to respond to harsh but valid
criticism

Non Sequitur

Well said G.B. I was harsher on this one since we both share common undergrad universities and I know how much work is produced in the studios (conversation stream not withstanding).

saqibm7575

Hey g.bourget, have you heard back from any of the universities yet?

g.bourget

Yes I did, I got into Carleton and Calgary, still waiting on U of T, Ryerson and UBC,

Just got an interview invite from UCL MArch RIBA Part 2. Admission said that my interviewer will be PROFESSOR CJ LIM. Perhaps because I mentioned about my fondness of him in my SoP. Anybody have any suggestion? Or perhaps experienced talking with one of the (in my opinion) most respectable person in the academia?

Not sure if it’s already been discussed elsewhere, but any idea why some applicants receive phone calls as an early notification of their admission? Is it reserved for those super stellar applicants to add a more “personal touch”?

Feb 26, 19 3:35 pm

bluesquare

I believe so. My roommate just got a phone call this morning from Cornell saying he got accepted in their program with the highest scholarship they give to students.

placemaker

Wow, what's your roommate's background? Did you get to see his portfolio?

bluesquare

Coming from a 4yr program! I saw it, it was strong. May also have influenced the fact that he has good stats on top of good work.

oneiriglitch

Did they call from the admissions office?

bluesquare

Yes, the head of the admission office.

placemaker

@oneiriglitch I didn't get a scholarship, but I got my acceptance call from the director of the M. Arch program (Caroline O'Donnell)

oneiriglitch

Thanks for the quick replies. I was asking because I happen to have missed a call this morning. I don't know who the caller was,
but it wasn't a Cornell AAP number

placemaker

Ah, I missed my call and they left a voicemail. It was an Ithaca area code. But I have definitely been getting jumpy about every call from an unknown number for the last couple weeks!

ethanhunt

I happen to live and work in areas where the cellular reception is the
worst. What happens if they call and cannot reach the number? Do they, alternatively, intimate the candidate through email?

placemaker

​@ethanhunt I am sure they would either leave you a voicemail or follow up with email. Also, I noticed that you started this whole thread but haven't posted your stats. I would be curious to see them along with your list of schools.

placebeyondthesplines

dude. calm down. if Cornell decided to accept you after going through the massive hassle of admissions review, do you really think a missed phone call would change their minds? either you got in but aren’t in the top tier/phone call/most funding group, or you didn’t get in. you’ll know one way or another soon enough.

I made my portfolio 4 times from start to finish, I had many people look at it (mostly other artists though), and I tried to make my personal statements about my specific interests and how the school would help me accomplish them. Also I included very specific information about each program that I could figure out from online research. I know MIT has a lot of little nuggets of what they want you to talk about on their page.

Feb 27, 19 2:49 pm

autofun

Love the look of the portfolio. Congrats on the admits! What's your top choice?

artdecoboi

Congrats! How did you hear about MIT? Via email or was it posted on the website?

arthurboscolo

They actually tried calling me a couple of times but I wasn't home. I emailed them back and they told me I was accepted.

arthurboscolo

Also, MIT is my top choice

artdecoboi

That's awesome! Congrats! Did they offer any $$$

arthurboscolo

I'm not sure since the lady was supposed to talk to me over the phone. But applications for scholarships (to my knowledge) happen after the decision process.

Hello arthurboscolo, I was wondering if you have received the official package from MIT as of yet?

arthurboscolo

Actually I haven't, but I called them last week and they told me that they were still dealing with the financial assistance stuff and that we should be receiving our packages later this week. However, one thing that I'm a bit worried about is that the professor who emailed me about my acceptance hasn't gotten back to me after I emailed her last week. So, idk whats happening, I'm waiting for an update too.

aws.aburas

I guess they are flooded with e-mails, lol. I hope they reply this week I will keep you updated when I get it

arthurboscolo

Hey I just got an email yesterday from them! I think MIT is my final choice. The financial package they offered was better than the other schools.

aws.aburas

Yea me too! They offered half tuition fellowship what about you?

arthurboscolo

They offered full tuition plus stipend. I feel like a dickwad posting this online, but I guess I already posed my admissions results so too late for that now I guess.

aws.aburas

Congrats! And no I think it gives future students a good idea of what to expect when they apply.

localalien

anyone with experience negotiating with MIT about schol
arship if other school had offered full tuition covered?

@placebeyondthesplines how is having a separate results thread going to help at this point? i would understand if that thread were made in April when everyone knows where they're going, but I don't see how that one would be any less chaotic than this one for incoming decisions. (please don't jump on me, i genuinely want to know your reasoning)

placebeyondthesplines

the pre-results thread (this one) is generally intended for this year's applicants to discuss the admissions process -- they used to be "commiserate here" threads -- before applications are submitted and before notifications go out. portfolio feedback requests, what-are-my-chances inquiries, inside information about schools, etc. are shared here.

placebeyondthesplines

the post-results thread is much more individually focused (these are my stats, this is my portfolio, these are my results), so it's far more useful to future applicants. based on stats, portfolios, and results, prospective students next year and beyond can get a clearer picture of where they stand with regard to their upcoming applications.

it might be a small distinction, but it typically yields much more organized discussions when we have one thread for process and one for results.

placemaker

ah, got it. thanks for the reply. that probably would have been a more organized way to go about it.
i have only spent time browsing the post-results threads (and i would guess many others here are in the same boat) so i always saw this thread as one of those. since it has been serving as that kind of thread for well over 100 posts/comments, i don't know if i agree about there being any value in trying to transition at this point.

placebeyondthesplines

your unsolicited opinion notwithstanding, most of the contributors in this thread (and past threads) applied to numerous programs that have not yet begun notifying applicants (but will be any day now), so "100 posts/comments" or not, newcomers to the forum should not be made to wade through five months of comments because a new thread slightly inconveniences you.

in past years, there have also been countless posters that only posted in the results thread. since that trend is likely to continue, the new thread should be where results are posted.

placemaker

my concern is just that by adding a new results thread after so many people have already posted results here, we will just have two threads with incomplete information. i see that as creating a bigger disadvantage to newcomers than having them read through a thread that was active for several months. it's not like the posts from a few months ago are somehow burdensome or irrelevant.

placemaker

you're welcome to try to make me out to be a selfish person avoiding personal inconveniences, but i really am trying to help keep this forum helpful for future applicants (just like you, right?). i know how much i relied on these threads and i hope they remain useful. we can just disagree on the best way for that to happen.

placebeyondthesplines

the forum will be most helpful for future applicants if it sticks to the general template, loose though it is, that it has followed for the last several years.

the pre-results threads always have some posted results, and those posters typically post again in the newer thread as the bulk of the notifications come out, funding offers are received, and final decisions are being considered. it's a different process, and two threads keeps it much simpler.

placemaker

that's fair. i concede. i'll probably be one of those people who moves to the other thread when everything is set in stone.

placebeyondthesplines

and here's hoping you have nothing but acceptances and giant scholarship offers to report when you do. you're off to an excellent start.

should we reply or send a thank you email if we get an official letter of acceptance for a program ?

Mar 1, 19 8:55 am

ethanhunt

Ethically, yes!

assma

Thank you. It wont seem weird to thank the admission officer without giving them my answer (intent to enroll) because I still havent made up my mind?

ethanhunt

I don't think so. I replied in a diplomatic way to the university that gave me an offer :P You anyways have some time to evaluate your choice, financial considerations, etc. till the deadline/other offers. And imo, they'd pretty much scroll over the message entirely. So sending a reply or not won't matter as much!

assma

Okay. Thank you so much for your help and congratulations on your acceptance. I want to be respectful towards the admissions office and wasnt sure what was the right way to do it

assma

I will post my stats and results once I get the answers from all the schools.

Formerlyunknown

It depends on how they alerted you to your admission. Different schools have different methods (and some have different methods for different tiers of admitted students). If it was by a phone call (from an architecture school dean or director, faculty member, or admissions committee member) then obviously you're going to thank them during that call. If it was by a personal email from one of these people you're probably also going to reply to the email with a "thank you for your kind email, I'm honored..." - though if you haven't decided yet whether to attend then you should be careful about how you word it, so it's not interpreted as an acceptance. There are a very few schools whose acceptances sometimes also come with plane tickets or an offer to fly you to their admitted students weekend and put you up in a hotel - if you happen to get one of those then of course you're going to want to reply right away to confirm travel arrangements or to let them know you can't attend.

But if you just get an acceptance letter in the mail, or if it's a general email from university admissions admin, or a notice from the automated online admissions system, then there's no expectation at all that you should send any thank yous or acknowledgement, other than your eventual acceptance or decline of their offer.

I hope to display my drawing skills, sculptures, and watercolor and furniture. I have been accumulating sketches and concept drawings as well. I ultimately want to be involved with theory, (architectural theory) at least in part during my career, as I’ve always loved reading the works of architectural literature (rem, Lebbeus woods, Steven Holl, Le corb, and venturi just to name a few) even alberti! Admittedly little by little lol. I noticed that the schools above offer an environment where these writings can be considered along with their modern counterparts- these schools are heavy in architectural thought, as far as I can see. Note that I care about architectural history not just theory- the historical aspect matters to me. I hope to show that I am capable in research, but also in the art and creativity involved with drawing and making. I want to hold off on the computer aided design. What do you think?

I have been admitted to the MS in Architecture Design | Energy | Futures programme at Syracuse University, was wondering if someone has been admitted to the same course? Just wanted to understand the feedback of a graduate programme like this and general alumnus feedback if any.

I really like USC curriculum and want to work in a warmer place (i am too unmotivated in a gray, gloomy cold weather and have issues getting out of cozy warmth of bed in cold). I am more inclined towards practical architecture (and environmentally sensitive design, which i plan to take electives on) and urbanism.

Considering UCinci would largely provide me opportunity to work on the eastern side, it'll be a long winter for me.

Regardless of weather, is the USC worth considering and taking a longer repayment time for the fee? How good does a USC graduate get paid in LA as compared to in the east?

Suggestions from experienced professionals would greatly help me in choosing between the two.

I'm also waiting on Berkeley MArch bit its highly unlikely I'm getting into. its been long since anyone has heard from them and will probably be hearing about denials. If in an ideal world i get into Berkeley, USC or Berkeley?

Any opinions on Yale vs AA. Both come to just over 40k per year although the AA is a year less. Also, to what degree is a student loan worth it and/or has anyone managed to find funding from external sources. Seems like a hell of a setback to start life with. Especially coming from a country with such a weak exchange rate.

Currently enrolled at UCT to graduate with a masters in Dec 2020. Just started the two year postgrad last month. Figured I can drop out if i get in somewhere better.

Mar 19, 19 5:26 pm

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